"Iomega has caught an entire segment of the computer industry asleep
at the switch -- We have seena boom in processor speed, a wholesale
shift in emphasis toward multimedia, and rush hour traffic on the internet.
However the most common media of removable storage, the floppy disk,
is virtually the same as it was a decade ago. Iomega's zip has changed
all that, and the company is well on its way toward owning the standard
in removable media drives. The Zip has been a huge hit, with the Jaz
high end product right at its heels. Since its introduction last year, over
2 million copies of the product have been sold. Nobody even comes close."
JPM 's Daniel Kunsler.
Sound like something I just wrote recently. Yes, IOMG and a pair-o-dime.
"That the market is poised for strong growth is an understatement
by any tally -- IDC estimates, prudently, that unit sales of zip-class drives
will grow at a compound annual rate of more than 100% between now
and 2000. The installed base of these drives should reach 90 million
units and should promote robust shipments of high-margin media cartridges."
JPM 's Daniel Kunsler.
Well, now I see where the $42 target by JPM is coming from. These folks
are definitely on the ultra-conservative side. If zip sale only grow 100% annually
between now and 2000, the Zip would never make it as a standard, not
one of the AcerBasic and Pippin @World units would be sold, Zip would
never be built into a single laptop, and PC/laptop sale growth will be
minus 100% between now and 2000.
What about the Jaz? It will be ironic if a year from now the real "hype"
may be the Jaz 's sale and acceptance by the mass.
Once a critical mass of installed base is reach, compatibility will ensure
accelerating Zip and Jaz sales, (e.g. DOS and Windows vs. more technically
superior Mac GUI and OS/2). Like dominos, all the OEMs will fall in line,
including Compag, and the Zip will be the undisputed new floppy standard
on every PC overnight.
The Zip will reach its critical mass by early next year, in my opinion.
We'll see if the Jaz can reach a critical mass of installed base within
a year or two. If it does, hallelujah.
A COMPUTER ON EVERY DESK, AND A ZIP AND A JAZ IN EVERY
COMPUTER. BUT WAIT, THERE'S A LOT MORE...
Young |
